An Asian food fair, martial arts displays, Chinese opera and a Chinese film festival are some of the events scheduled as part of the Chinese New Year festival, which runs from January 20 until February 3.

Andrew Montague, Lord Mayor of Dublin, which is now twinned with Beijing, yesterday unveiled the special dragon as the highlight of this year's festival.

The dragon was brought in to mark the Chinese New Year with a performance at 4pm on January 22, as the clock strikes midnight in China.

"The positive contribution by our Chinese Community to the vibrancy of Dublin life is sometimes overlooked," Mr Montague said.

The carnival will take place in Temple Bar in Dublin city centre, with information available on www.cny.ie